Focus T25 Week 6: Why the Dip in Motivation?

Despite some of the enthusiasm we saw last week, it appears that our participants’ motivation levels have dwindled a bit. Is this due to a decrease in commitment, or is it due to the program itself?

By The HighYa Team

April 13, 2014

Week 6 of our Focus T25 Challenge represents the first time we’ve been able to talk with our participants since passing the halfway point. At this point, they’ve entered the Beta cycle of the program, and while both the Alpha and Beta cycles are focused on agility and speed, the Beta cycle is intended to focus more on core.

Despite some of the enthusiasm we saw last week, it appears that our participants’ motivation levels have dwindled a bit. Is this due to a decrease in commitment, or is it due to the program itself?

Let’s dig in and find out.

Test Subject #1

Now that you’re on the sixth week, are the routines easier to complete?
Since we focused on the DVD’s Beta cycle this week, it’s much slower, but not easier. However, I don’t feel like I got a good workout. This is because when something is harder and you just can’t keep up, you end up working out less. I feel like I got lost, which slowed me down.

Can you do the regular routines yet, or are you still doing the modified versions?
On this side, I did lots of the modified versions, but I still tried to follow Sean T when I could.

Were you able to stick with a sensible diet and maintain healthy eating habits during the week? Why or why not?
No, because I got distracted with different events. However, I still didn’t eat late, and I tried to stick to my plan as best I could. I would say I maintained healthy eating habits 50% of the time.

Do you feel the Focus T25 program is helping or hindering your healthy eating habits? Do you find that you're more or less hungry during the week?
Hunger-wise, I feel the same. But I do feel more motivated to eat healthy, because I don’t want my workout to have been for nothing.

How much weight did you lose this week?
None.

How much total weight did you lose so far?
4 pounds.

Have you experienced any noticeable results?
This week I feel the same.

When compared to Week 5, do you feel like you’ve made progress?
I don’t feel like I’ve made progress this week, and feel like I made more progress with the Alpha side of the work out, where I sweated more.

Are you satisfied with what you’ve been able to accomplish so far?
I am. I never stick with something this long, so the fact that I’m on week 6 makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something.

Originally, you thought you’d lose weight with the Focus T25 program, which has not been the case. Are you disappointed?
I am disappointed, but I do understand that in order to get 100% results, you have to try 100%—and 25+ minutes a day, 6 days a week is not 100%. That won’t cause me to lose the amount of weight that I want.

Daily Breakdown

Day 1 – Core Cardio: I thought this was going to get really hard, and I was really dreading it. Ultimately, I found it to be very fast and not much fun. The moves went really quick, and I did want to throw up several times because you’re required to hold in your stomach throughout the whole workout.

Day 2 – Speed 2.0: Today was very hard for me, and I stayed with the modified workout the whole time. The moves were nonstop and very confusing, so I was just trying to keep up with them most of the time, which slowed me down a lot.

Day 3 – Rip’t Circuit: I started out thinking that this was my favorite workout this week, but it eventually progressed into much more then I could manage. The modified versions weren’t always visible, and I got lost a lot. Also, when they all get up from the mat in the middle of a workout they do so very fast. In fact, by the time I got up they were already way ahead. In other words, they’re already familiar with the routine, so they just jump up after the count is done and start on the next move, whereas I had to see what they were doing. Also, some of the floor workouts were very hard, and there were no modified versions to accompany them. I don’t think everyone could do it. I definitely couldn’t, so anyone bigger than me would probably become very frustrated.

Day 4 – Dynamic Core: This was very hard for me. I wish the manufacturer would have taken into consideration that very overweight people will be doing this video, and give us a modified version that we can actually follow.

Day 5 – Upper Focus: Today was a much slower pace for me, but even still, there were a lot of parts that I couldn’t do. Also, the person who normally does the modified versions was doing the same thing as the rest of the group in this video, so there was no modified version for me to follow. If you have a lot of weight to lose and you’re not as fit as the people in the video, there is just no way that you can do it. Because of this, I became discouraged.

Test Subject #2

Now that you’re on the sixth week, are the routines easier to complete?
This week was not easy for me, and I felt like I had no energy to power through the exercises.

Can you do the regular routines yet, or are you still doing the modified versions?
I do half and half.

Were you able to stick with a sensible diet and maintain healthy eating habits during the week? Why or why not?
Yes, I have a sensible eating plan that I’ve been able to stick to.

Do you feel the Focus T25 program is helping or hindering your healthy eating habits? Do you find that you're more or less hungry during the week?
I feel like a workout can’t make me more or less hungry. I feel the same as always.

How much weight did you lose this week?
None.

How much total weight did you lose so far?
2 pounds.

Have you experienced any noticeable results?
I have more muscle definition in my arms, and my legs are tighter.

When compared to Week 5, do you feel like you’ve made progress?
Honestly, as a girl who is trying to get lean, I definitely don’t feel like that’s going to happen doing these workouts. I’m becoming shapelier, but ideally, my main goal is to be skinny and lean. However, these workouts are making me more defined, and I’m not seeing any difference on the scale.

Are you satisfied with what you’ve been able to accomplish so far?
I’m satisfied with the fact that I’ve been persistent, mainly because this program is only 25 minutes a day, in addition to cool down.

Originally, you thought you’d lose weight with the Focus T25 program, which has not been the case. Are you disappointed?
The way this video was advertised I really did think I would just do the 25-minute workout 5 days a week, and then lose weight. But that hasn’t been the case at all. In fact, on the second side of the DVD (the Beta cycle), they encourage you to complete a second video every day. Maybe I would, if that’s what I signed up for. But then again, even if I did this second video, I don’t feel confident that it would make me lose weight.

I think that you have to complete the entire program, including buying their shakes and food guide, in order to lose weight. And If you are a very overweight person, you will not be able to handle these workouts with your existing eating habits. I think that’s why they include disclaimers and recommendations in the videos to consult your doctor first.

Daily Breakdown

Day 1 – Core Cardio: It was very fast, but I felt very good. In fact, I like it more than the other cardio workout.

Day 2 – Speed 2.0: It felt like cardio and was very fun for me. These workouts are so fast, and you’ll want to make sure you don’t eat before you do them, because it’s much more fun to work out when you don’t have a full stomach.

Day 3 – Rip’t Circuit: This was very hard, but I felt strong enough to nail it. I did do some of the modified versions, but I didn’t feel like I was dying.

Day 4 – Dynamic Core: This was my least favorite. I did the modified versions (and less) some of the time, because I don’t have their 6 packs where I am able to do those exercises.

Day 5 – Upper Focus: All the ab videos are extremely hard for me. I am not as fit as some of the instructors in order to do what they’re doing. And there isn’t an option to do a modified for all the parts.

Focus T25 Week 6: Weight on Their Shoulders

Now that our participants have started the Beta cycle of the T25 program, they’re working their cores and the pace has picked up significantly. As a result, they’re having some newfound difficulties keeping up with the standard workouts. However, despite this increase, it appears that the manufacturer failed to include modified versions of many of these new workouts, which has led to some frustration and discouragement on the part of our participants. And to add insult to injury, our participants are learning that, even if you stick to the program and maintain healthy eating habits, it’s likely that you’ll become more toned, but will lose little—if any—weight.

Any time you’re completing a new workout program, it’s highly important to maintain motivation and a positive outlook. However, due to a change in the T25 program, as well as very little results on the scale, our participants seem to be losing their motivation. Will this continue to Week 7? Stay tuned to find out!